1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic device, more particularly to an electronic device with a floating electrical connector unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer peripheral devices, such as compact disk drives, hard disk drives and battery devices, are provided with electrical connector units for establishing electrical connection with corresponding electrical connectors inside a computer housing. It is noted that the electrical connector units on the computer peripheral devices must be in perfect alignment with the corresponding electrical connectors inside the computer housing in order to permit installation of the computer peripheral devices. Perfect alignment, however, cannot be ensured due to tolerances during the manufacture of the computer peripheral devices and the computer.
To overcome the aforesaid problem, it has been proposed heretofore to provide a floating electrical connector unit on a computer peripheral device for mating with a corresponding electrical connector that is fixed inside the computer housing. Because the floating electrical connector that is slightly movable relative to the housing of the computer peripheral device, it can be easily aligned with the corresponding electrical connector inside the computer housing for mating therewith.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a computer peripheral device having a floating electrical connector unit 2 mounted on a housing 1 thereof. The housing 1 has a side wall 11 formed with an elongated access opening 13 therethrough. A pair of raid-defining guards 15 are disposed on two opposite edges of the access opening 13. The electrical connector unit 2 includes a contact terminal set (not visible), a flexible ribbon cable 23, and a dielectric terminal holding seat 20. The dielectric terminal holding seat 20 is disposed in the housing 1 and has a front portion 201 that projects outwardly of the housing 1 through the access opening 13, and a rear portion 202 that extends from the front portion 201 inwardly of the housing 1. The front portion 201 of the terminal holding seat 20 has a cross-section smaller than the size of the access opening 13 such that the terminal holding seat 20 is movable relative to the housing 1. The contact terminal set is mounted in the terminal holding seat 20, and has a cable connecting portion that extends through the rear portion 202 of the terminal holding seat 20. On end of the ribbon cable 23 is clamped between a pair of terminal mounting plates 21. The cable connecting portion of the contact terminal set connects electrically with the ribbon cable 23, and is mounted on the terminal mounting plate 21. The terminal mounting plates 21 have opposite ends that extend respectively into the rail-defining guards 15 such that the terminal holding seat 20 is movable along the access opening 13, and such that the terminal holding seat 20 is prevented from removal from the housing 1 via the access opening 13.
Some disadvantages of the aforesaid arrangement are as follows:
(i) The range movement of the electrical connector unit 2 is severely limited due to the use of the rail-defining guards 15. PA1 (ii) Because the terminal mounting plates 21 are supported solely at the opposite ends by the rail-defining guards 15, they may deform after frequent plug-in action of a complementary electrical connector 2'.